Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada
Volume 15, Número 3, Setembro 2015, Páginas 377-393

DOI: 10.5894/rgci583
* Submission: 2 FEB 2015; Peer review: 27 MAR 2015; Revised: 23 APR 2015; Accepted: 7 MAY 2015; Available on-line: 8 MAY 2015

Management and research on plastic debris in Uruguayan Aquatic Systems: update and perspectives *  

Juan Pablo Lozoya^{a, @}; Alvar Carranza^b; Javier Lenzi^c;
Emanuel Machín^d; Franco Teixeira de Mello^e; Silvana González^f;
Daniel Hernández^g; Gissell Lacerot^h; Gastón Martínez^f, i;
Fabrizio Scarabino^f; José Sciandro^a; Gabriela Vélez-Rubio^j, k;
Fernanda Burgues^d; Daniel Carrizo^l; Felipe Cedrés^m;
Julio Chocca^f; Daniel de Álava^a; Sebastián Jiménez^f; Valentina Leoni^b; Pablo Limongi^m; Guzmán López^f; Yamilia Olivera^m; Mariana Pereira^m; Luis Rubioⁿ; Federico Weisntein^m

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@ - Corresponding author, to whom correspondence should be addressed.
a - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Centro Interdisciplinario para el Manejo Costero Integrado del Cono Sur (MCISur), Centro Universitario de la Región Este (CURE), Maldonado, Uruguay.
b - Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Área Biodiversidad & Conservación, Montevideo, Uruguay.
c - Centro de Investigación y Conservación Marina (CICMAR), Uruguay.
d - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Facultad de Ciencias, Montevideo, Uruguay.
e - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Centro Universitario de la Región Este (CURE), Departamento de Ecología Teórica y Aplicada, Maldonado, Uruguay
f - Ministerio de Ganadería Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP), Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos (DINARA), Montevideo, Uruguay.
g - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Montevideo, Uruguay.
h - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Centro Universitario de la Región Este (CURE), Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Acuáticos, Rocha, Uruguay.
i - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Centro Universitario de la Región Este (CURE), Grupo de Estudios Pesqueros y de Impacto Ambiental, Rocha, Uruguay.
j - University of Valencia, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Marine Zoology Unit, Valencia, Spain.
k - ONG Karumbé, Montevideo, Uruguay.
l - Queen's University, Institute for Global Food Security, Belfast, U.K.
m - Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Centro Universitario Regional Este (CURE), Maldonado, Uruguay.
n - Proyecto FREPLATA, Ministerio de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente (MVOTMA), Uruguay.   

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ABSTRACT
Synthetic plastics have become an indispensable component of modern life, and the amount of plastics disposal has increased dramatically as a result. With human population increasing, it is expected that the prevalence of plastic debris in the environment will also increase, unless sustainable daily habits are incorporated, waste management improved, and new alternative materials are discovered and popularized. To date, several reports show negative effects of plastic debris on marine and freshwater fauna (e.g. invertebrates, birds, turtles, marine mammals). Plastic are ubiquitous in the water column, deposited in fine sediments and enter the guts, respiratory structures and tissues of different aquatic species, and are incorporated into food webs via ingestion. This global problem also affects beach and near-shore activities (e.g. tourism, fisheries, and aquaculture) with negative social and economic consequences. The research of plastics effect on aquatic environments in Uruguay is only incipient. With the aim of contributing to scientific knowledge, decision-making and the management of plastic debris, here we reviewed the available information on plastic debris sources, their impacts on biodiversity, and policy issues in Uruguayan aquatic systems. Moreover, we reviewed and systematized community outreach initiatives, and examined national policies and management initiatives. We found that Uruguayan aquatic systems (freshwater, coastal marine and benthic) are affected by plastic pollution, both from land-based and sea-based activities, although national-level policies are modern and well suited for minimizing the impacts of plastic pollution. We reviewed biota-plastic debris interactions, and found evidence for impacts on a number of aquatic taxa, including the poorly reported ingestion of microplastics in freshwaters fishes and the association with plastic benthic debris. Global and regional hydrographic settings (Río de la Plata Estuary), as well as idiosyncratic ecological, socio-economic and cultural issues, make Uruguay a valuable test-site for this topic. Our ultimate goal is to minimize the effects of this widespread environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problem.

Keywords: Plastic and microplastic pollution, Río de la Plata, Aquatic systems, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Waste
management, Uruguay.

Pesquisas e manejo de descartes plásticos em sistemas aquáticos uruguaios: atualização e perspectivas

RESUMO
Produtos plásticos tem se tornado um componente indispensável na vida moderna, como conseqüência disso a quantidade de plásticos descartados tem dramaticamente aumentado. É esperado que com o aumento da população de seres humanos a prevalência de descartes plásticos também aumente, a menos que hábitos cotidianos sustentáveis sejam incorporados, e novos materiais alternativos sejam descobertos e popularizados. Até o momento, diversas pesquisas têm mostrado os efeitos negativos de descartes plásticos sobre a fauna marinha e dulcícola (p. ex.: invertebrados, aves, tartarugas e mamíferos marinhos). Em ambientes aquáticos, plásticos estão em toda parte: na coluna de água, depositados em sedimento fino e dentro de estômago, estruturas respiratórias e tecidos de diversas espécies aquáticas, e são incorporadas nas teias alimentares através da ingestão. Este problema global também afeta atividades realizadas na praia e próximas à costa (p. ex.: turismo, pesca, e aqüicultura) com conseqüências sociais e econômicas negativas. Pesquisas que abordem os efeitos de plásticos sobre ambientes aquáticos no Uruguai é ainda incipiente. Com o objetivo de contribuir para o conhecimento científico, a tomada de decisões e o manejo de descartes plásticos, revisou-se a informação disponível acerca de fontes de descartes plásticos, observando os impactos delas sobre a biodiversidade e sobre questões políticas em sistemas aquáticos uruguaios. Além disso, revisou-se e sistematizou-se o alcance de iniciativas da comunidade, e examinou-se a política nacional de iniciativas de manejo. Descobrimos que os sistemas aquáticos uruguaios (de água doce, costeiros e marinhos bentônicos) são afetados pela poluição de plástico, pelas atividades terrestres e pelas atividades ligadas ao mar, embora as políticas a nível nacional sejam modernas e bem adaptadas para minimizar os impactos dessa poluição. Revisamos as interações biota-detritos plásticos, e encontramos evidência de impactos sobre diversos taxa aquáticos, incluindo a ingestão de microplástico per peixes de água doce, e da associação que existe entre biota e os detritos plásticos bentônica, geralmente pouco relatados. As configurações hidrográficas globais e regionais (Estuário Rio de la Plata), bem como questões ecológicas idiossincráticas, sócio-econômico e culturais fazem do Uruguai um valioso lugar-teste para este tópico. O objetivo final dessa pesquisa é minimizar os efeitos deste amplamente difundido problema de saúde, ambiental, econômico e estético.  

Palavras-chave: Contaminação por plásticos e microplásticos, Rio de la Plata, Gestão Costeira Integrada, Gestão de resíduos, Uruguai.

 

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